So [Haman] answered the king, “For the man the king delights
to honor,
Then let the robe and horse be entrusted to one of the
king’s most noble princes. Let them robe the man the king delights to honor,
and lead him on the horse through the city streets, proclaiming before him,
‘This is what is done for the man the king delights to honor!’”
“Go at once,” the
king commanded Haman. “Get the robe and the horse and do just as you have
suggested for Mordecai the Jew, who sits at the king’s gate. Do not neglect
anything you have recommended.”
So Haman got the robe and the horse. He robed Mordecai, and
led him on horseback through the city streets, proclaiming before him, “This is
what is done for the man the king delights to honor!”
Afterward Mordecai returned to the king’s gate. But Haman
rushed home, with his head covered in grief,
Esther
6:7, 9-12
The
reward Haman requested for the unnamed recipient was obviously Haman himself,
at least in his own mind. Haman was practicing half of the Golden Rule: “as you
would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12). He just forgot the “Do unto others”
part. But, the reward wasn’t for Haman.
After
learning that the honor went to Mordecai, Haman quickly toppled from the thrill
of victory to the agony of defeat. Haman had to parade Mordecai through the
city and proclaim, “This is what is done for the man the king delights to
honor!” I would imagine that coming up with a smile was more than a challenge
for Haman.
We
are all naturally jealous. Maybe we’re not proclaiming the good deeds of our
archrival like Haman. We don’t have to go that far to be jealous. If a
co-worker gets a promotion or a friend gets a new car, our first reaction is
usually not, “Good for you. Way to go.” Our first thoughts are jealous
thoughts.
Someone
asked years ago, “How do you keep crabs in a basket? You don’t need a lid. You
just need two crabs. One will make sure that the other doesn’t escape the
basket.” I hate to admit that sometimes the claw fits.
The
Bible tells us to “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn”
(Romans 12:15). If we were honest, we would admit that often it’s easier to
mourn with the mournful than rejoice with the joyful. I’m not saying that we’re
a bunch of Eeyores ready to darken anyone’s day. We’re probably more like
crabs.
When
someone is suffering, we can pray for them. We can offer our help. We can lift
them up. Often when something good happens, there’s nothing for us to do,
except maybe envy them. They don’t seem to need our prayer. After all, they’ve
succeeded. They don’t need our help. They don’t need to be lifted. They’re
already up there. We wouldn’t want them to get a big head or anything. Maybe
our job is to keep them humble amid their success. Maybe we need to get over
ourselves.
There
is something poetic about Haman honoring Mordecai at the king’s request. I
don’t think Mordecai took advantage of the situation. I don’t think Mordecai
was haughty. I doubt that he gloated. He doesn’t strike me as being that kind
of man.
We
can certainly cheer Mordecai’s success and even Haman’s humiliation. We all
want the good guys to finish first – the tortoise to beat the hare, the
underdog and the dark horse to get the advantage. We want the force to be with
us. This calls for a little excessive jubilation in the end zone of life. But,
we are not called to rub other people’s noses in it.
The
Bible tell us to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that
he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). It’s not our job to lift
ourselves up. It’s our job to humbly submit ourselves to God. God does the
heavy lifting.
Where
do you feel that you need to assert yourself and your agenda today? Are you
considering the good of everybody or just your own good? What signal have you
received from God: Stop, Yield or Go?
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